DRILL IN THE SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1064, 1 March 1911, Page 2

DRILL IN THE SCHOOLS.

ENTIRE CHANGE SUGGESTED. REPORT BY MAJOR MACDONALD, AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. The question of Die system of physical training adopted in Uio public, schools came up for discussion at yesterday's meeting of Die Education Bonril. A report covering; a number' of proposed nl. tenitions was presented as under by Major T. W. M'Donald, Commandant of the Cadets:"1 linvo pleasure in making the following intimation to your board;— "(1) That arrangements will 'be made for my stafi'-scrgcant instructors,, to instruct teachers (male and female), ill physical drill, if your board so desire it, and without cost to the board, provided that the board will- assemble the teachers at suitable centres and at convenient limes to fit in with the other duties of (he instructors. Classy for female teacher;! would require to bo held at different limes to those for males teachers. I would like to lake this opportunity'• of suggesting to the board the desirability of limiting the physical training in the schools to free exercises without" apparatus. This lias been decided with regard to Hie cadets. It is now almost universally recognised that the use of apparatus tends to stiffen the. limbs rather than, relaxing them as in the case of frco exercises', besides which apparatus is costly, and takes up considerable time in setting in and out and putting away before and after exercises, and there is great waste of time in teaching the technical handling of it. "(2) That any of tho board's mhlo teachers, whether junior cadet officers or not, may attend the animal camn or school for junior cadet officers, and be provisioned free of .cost to the board and teachers, if the board will grant the necessary leave to assemble them. There aro many ways by which this might! be done, but I lake leave to suggest the , f ellowing, viz., that if teachers arc prepared to.devote the last week of their summer holidays to (his work, that the board grant them leave to devote the first school week of the year to it also, ia tho-eanie way as has already been done by some boards'in connection with tho agricultural classes. v "I sec no objection to any arrangement being made, if the board so desires, whereby singing classes, jpt instance; or perhaps agricultural or other classes, could' b* carried on.in conjunction iritli the military course. \ ■.. ■ "In any case. Hie physical drill class for male teachers referred to in Part (1) of this memorandum could be ■ done in this way. Part (2) of this offer is made as the result of representations made to me by a great many cadet officers, and is submitted for your board's consideration." Hearty Approval of Inspectors, A note was added by the Chief Inspector (Mr. T. K. Fleming) as under: These excellent suggestions are heartily approved by the inspectors, and if adopted by the board, will be of considerable benefit to an important branch of tho school work. Tho chairman , said the whclo of the drill would consist of movements of the 'limbs, and would mean' casting' into oblivion the old dumbbells, etc. It was intended now that even in rifle practice that the ride would no , : be used.. It was contended that a weight in the hands when, drilling led to stiffening instead of relaxing the muscles. H« moved that the board co-operaip with the suggestion made.

Mr; Allan thought the spectacular effect would be a loss to the schools. Did tho change, ho asked, nu.in that all physical drill was to be carried out without apparatus? The chairman: "Would that be a loss?" np took.it that no apparatus would be nspd. Mr. Allan thought the spectacular side meant a good-deal to the young mind, :\1 though' , ;it. might.not • appeal to their elders. The chairman* "Don't..von think you should lot tho military authorities have , their way?" Mr. Allan' remarked that they would .—•pbably. got jt no matter .what ho soul The. board had spent a good deal n\ money on gymnastic appliances for tho schools, ami those apparently were to be useless by a new rule which came forward a'skinir that Indian clubs, dumbbolls, and rifles be put awav. In his opinion the teachers of tho various schools should have .somethinc to say before this mattorwas decided. Of course, if they were fjoinc: fo accept the rennrt of the military instructor as infallible,' tb.'il; Wat (he end of it. ■ Mr. T. R. Fleming. Chief Inspector, did not think the clubs and dumb-Mis ware to be done away with altogether, but were to-be uvd i'udieiously. Mr. Allan thought they should be very rarefnl before they relegated these things to the limbo of the past. Mr. ITogu thought that, wini? tlmt the proposals had been submitted tn the insneetors and approved by them th" board ■Oiould fall in with the'' report 1 .""lip liart been struck of late by the way thV'Ws and sirls were lipin<» exercised in the onen air in breathing "\">rcisos. etc. In his opinion, if Major M'Doimld was nllow«! ,<i free .hand ho would in ike (he phvsiml drill system one of the best obtainable. Not Convinced, Mr. W. C. Buchanan remarked thai they had gono to the expense of providing appliances for the old style of exercises, hut it' the report was correct (hey had boon working on a wrong system, and instead of making the muscles elastic had I'lK'ii giving exercises which tended to stiU'en tliein. It would take a 10l of expert assertion to make him accept that statement for a moment. (Hear, hear.) In to pianists, Mid Mr. Buchanan, it was a matter of drum, drum, drum for hours to make the fingers pliable and able to execute, certain movements. If tho exorcise stiffened the muscles, a pianist would not, ho nrgeii, pursue the practice.Mr. Vile: "That theory does not hold when applied to telegraphists." Sir. Buchanan admitted tyiat it was timo , that tolegranhisls got oramy. He thought it would bo* a distinct discouragement (o teachers to have a drastic order . issued doing away with the. whole of the gyin> nastic exercises. Such a step, he thought, should not be taken without consultation with the teachers.

Tho chairman said he took it that it was not so much (lmt the exercises were to bo discontinued as that they were t3 be discontinued with dumb-bells, etc. The now idea -suggested, lie understood, e;\mi< from Switzerland end Norway, which hud always tnUen Hie load in physical drill; The dumb-bells, etc., would always be. in reterve, nnd time would tell wliich system was the best. If it was found tli.it clubs, etc., wove of service, they could hs taken up again. 311 , . Fleming, chief inspector, remarked that he nnd liis colleagues approved tho. change. They had., noticed that boys had been made to go through their exercises with-heavy rifles. In other reboot* clubs and dumb-bells were forced on children who were far too young to to; them. They did not,- however, think thiit teacher.-; who could use dumb-bells and clubs judiciously were to bo prevented from using them with the bigger children. The chairman: "That is n question you can put to Major Mncdonnld." Mr. Vile said ho understood that reticular attention would Is paid to swimming in the new scheme.' Ho thought the proposal should be adopted. "Taihoa." - 3fr. Allan moved an amendment that the mutter be held over until next meting for consideration. !l tl>.« system had beDii wrong for tho lest ten yenrs, another month's delay would not hurt tho children very much. I'urlhc-r, no immediate arrangements were beinij mr.'.lo which made it necessary to rush the tiling. Mr. Hope remarked that Mr. Allan should be Native Minister. His method \v:\s olio, of taihos. The chairman did not think Mr. Allan would get anything by his amendment, but he could see no harm in pulliiis; Dm matter off for a month to sro if Jlnjor Maedcnald really meant to threw aside the drilling apparatus altogether, or to allow it with older pupils. The amendment was carried by 4 votes to 8, ,